From the Head of Junior School

As a teacher I have always loved the beginning of the school year.

Having a new class with a new mix of students brings an energy of new opportunities. In the class, there are always some old hands who have been at the school since Prep and some students new to the school who are a bit nervous but also excited. I loved watching the new friendships form and seeing the children’s personalities come out once they were settled into their new class.

I have carried my enjoyment of the commencement of the new school year into my role outside of the classroom. I enjoy getting to know our new students and families and reconnecting with the broader school community after the long holiday break. The beginning of this year has felt more energetic than usual as we have welcomed our families back into the school grounds after the lockdowns of the previous two years. In our last eLink I wrote about us having more students showing anxiety at the beginning of the day, more than we normally would. I am pleased to see that this is settling down quickly and many of those students have adjusted back into the school routines. If you find that your child is still anxious about coming to school please do not hesitate to speak with your class teacher who can provide assistance. If you would like more information about how to assist your child with anxiety Independent Schools Victoria hosts an excellent Parent Resource website at https://theparentswebsite.com.au/. You will find articles on a wide range of parenting issues that are freely accessible to all.

While we are not yet back to “normal” we are moving quickly in that direction. The swimming carnival last week was a wonderful day and was well supported by our parents. I think, after missing so many opportunities in 2020 and 2021, our parents also enjoyed this opportunity to reconnect with the school. I thank our staff for the effort they put into making this a successful event, particularly Mrs Hamilton, Mr Doherty and Mr Robertson for their organisation beforehand and on the day. Thank you also to the Friends of Junior School for running the Sausage sizzle which is always well received. Let’s hope we can look forward to many more events where we can come together this year.

Mr Donald Thompson

Head of Junior School

Swimming Carnival

The annual Junior School Swimming Carnival was held last week. Although the morning turned out a bit chilly, it did not dampen the spirits of the students to cheer for their classmates and their House. It is always great to see students getting behind their fellow House participants to encourage them to have a go or cheering them across the line for a place. Events such as the Swimming Carnival foster a great sense of community and it was fantastic parents were able to attend a school event after such as long period.

It was great to see Frew House take out the House Cup for the first time in 8 years and Aherne House get up to win the Spirit Cup.

Congratulations to our Age Champions who will go on to represent Girton at Divisional Carnival on Monday 7th March.

9 YEAR OLD

Ben Bolam (3 Riley)

Stella McIntosh (4 Jenkin)

10 YEAR OLD

Owen Barnes (4 Frew)

Lauren Davenport (4 Jenkin)

11 YEAR OLD

Tyler Brown (4 Millward)

Maya Dhanapala (5 Riley)

12 YEAR OLD

Spencer Snell (6 Riley)

Octavia Yuen (6 Frew)

SRC Inductions

Today at Junior School Assembly, Semester One Student Representative Council, SRC, were inducted. Congratulations to the students in each class from Year Three to Six who were chosen by their peer as a voice of the students. The SRC students meet weekly to discuss ideas and support events throughout the school.

CLASS	NAME	HOUSE
3D	Siofra O'Malley	Jones
3D	Samarth Kolli	Jones
3M	James Dalton	Frew
3M	Ava Vale	Jones
3V	Katherine Morsillo	Riley
3V	Anastasia Brown	Aherne
4D	Tyler Brown	Millward
4D	Hazel Anderson	Frew
4M	Alice McIntosh	Frew
4M	Jemima Morley	Jenkin
5D	Benjamin Bowles	Riley
5D	Isla Westbrook	Frew
5M	Norah Rao	Riley
5M	Remy Van Staveren	Jenkin
5V	Rishiv Sasalu	Frew
5V	Leah Morley	Jenkin
6D	Charlotte Cason	Frew
6D	Brydie Primmer	Millward
6M	Campbell Bowen	Jenkin
6M	Charlotte Metaxas	Jones
6V	Thom Hosking	Frew
6V	Adelaide Bolam	Riley

World's Greatest Shave

This year the Junior School children will once again raise funds for the Leukaemia Foundation by taking part in Crazy Hair Day and the World’s Greatest Shave. We have 12 brave students who will have their hair shaved on Wednesday 16th March at the Junior School Assembly.

Jools for Jim is sending in some accomplished hairdressers on the day and we thank them for their support. All students involved in Crazy Hair day are asked to bring a gold coin donation for this very worthy cause.

Our SRC representatives are assisting by selling zooper doopers during Term one and will collect money from each class on Crazy Hair Day.

If you wish to support our students taking the shave, you can donate via the button below.

YEAR ONE: Where will you be on 3.3.33?

This week provided a unique opportunity for everyone and particularly our Year One students. Tuesday’s date was a once in a lifetime line-up that won't happen again for 200 years. Dubbed by many as Twosday, the unique date is a palindrome and ambigram which can be written forward or backward. Many classes watched the date and time closely to savour the phenomenon at 2:22pm on 22.2.22.

Our Year One students looked forward to the next date pattern to acknowledge where they will be – our current Year One students will be in Year Twelve on 3.3.33. This provided a great occasion to create a keepsake for their time capsule. They took a photo under our iconic Peppercorn Tree to remember this week and plan to re-enact the same photo in 11 years time at 3:33pm on 3.3.33.

Year Four: Kindness

In Year 4 we have been exploring what kindness means through six key concepts of kindness. These concepts are respect, inclusiveness, responsibility, caring, integrity and courage. We have had lots of conversations about what kindness looks like and how we feel when someone does a kind gesture towards us and how we feel when we do something kind for others. We have been challenged to do Random Acts of Kindness for others without expecting anything in return. Sean made Mrs Fisher smile when he gave her a bookmark he had made.

Sometimes It’s Just Nice To Be Asked!

After seeing the trailers for the new Spiderman movie, I really wanted to see it. With Covid restrictions it had been quite a long time since I’d Been to the movies.

My big brother Gus and his girlfriend Jemima were going on a date. They knew I wanted to see Spiderman and invited me to come. They bought me a ticket and shouted me a slushy and some popcorn. How nice it was of them to think of me and ask me. Thanks for being so kind Gus and Jemima.

Myles Waller (4 Jones)

William Slow is Kind

Every year William gives me clothes that don’t fit him anymore. This act of kindness saves my family a lot of money . He also gives me grown up toys which I love. William collects Pokemon and talks about them. That’s why I collect them. William is a good friend to me.

Fletcher Welling (4 Aherne)

My Nonna is Kind

Breaking news this afternoon a Nonna has been caught being very very kind.

Nonna always does something for us.

When we go to her house after school she always

has some thing there for a snack.

She gives us a snack and makes us dinner to Nonna is so kind.

Allegra Krelle (4 Aherne)

Caught Being Kind!

“Kindness makes people happy around us.” I like going to the school library. It has many lovely books to read but it is sometimes confusing to choose the right book for myself. My Library teachers are always kind and they help me find the best book to read. It is good to be kind.

Asim Mohammad (4 Frew)

Come and Join the Fun!

Camp Australia

Michael Grose: PARENTING IDEAS

Building strong working relationships with teachers

Studies show that healthy parent–teacher relationships are a more significant factor in student success than parent income levels or social status. Parent–teacher relationships require effort and energy from both parties if they are going to really benefit children and young people. These key strategies will help you build a healthy working relationship with teachers in the year ahead.

Get to know them

For your partnership to be meaningful and successful, you need to meet with your children’s teacher(s) with the goal of forming a respectful professional relationship. Be willing to share your aspirations for your child and be willing to build the teacher’s knowledge about your family. For balanced perspective, also gain an understanding of the teacher’s approach and what focus areas they have for their particular year group. This can be done formally by attending start of the year information evenings and informally through conversations, reading newsletters and staying in touch in digitally and in real-time.

Trust their professionalism

Children need to know that their parents are fully behind what their teachers are trying to achieve if they are going to commit fully to learning. The best way to support your child’s teacher is to trust their knowledge, professionalism and experience. Avoid the temptation to question the expertise of teachers in front of students, particularly when the teachers use methods that you are unfamiliar with. Initiate conversations with teachers around methodology to give them the chance to explain the approach they are taking.

Go through the right channels

Despite the best teaching practices things do go wrong at school. Kids experience learning difficulties. Conflict and peer rejection happen. Kids will often come home from school with grievances and call on you for assistance. Resist the urge to react emotionally. If you need to contact teachers do so respectfully, calmly and through the correct channels. A measured response will generally achieve the best result for your child.

Stay solution-focused

When problems arise at school, particularly pertaining to a child’s learning or wellbeing avoid taking a fixed position to your child's teacher. Gather the facts as best you can and present your concerns but remain flexible to gain an outcome that’s both obtainable and in the best interests of your child. Parent-teacher relationships can easily falter when one or both parties take a firm position about a problem and are unwilling to give ground.

Utilise their resources

Teachers and schools often put a lot of work into sourcing and sharing credible resources that they think will help parents. Take the time to read, utilise and enjoy the information provided to you. It's intended to make your parenting journey easier, which will also benefit your child not just at school, but at home. If your school doesn't yet have a clearly defined source in place, consider suggesting one to the teacher, such as the Parenting Ideas memberships for schools.

Build links to student learning

There’s a huge body of research that points to the correlation between parent engagement in student learning and their educational success. If you want your child to improve their learning, take an interest in what they are doing. Follow school and teacher guidelines about helping at home and attend as many conferences, meetings and events involving your child as possible. This strategy has a significant, long-term impact on your child’s attitude to learning.

Stay in touch

Life’s not always smooth sailing for kids of any age. Family circumstances change. Friends move away. Illness happens. Mental health challenges can hit anyone at any time. These changes affect learning. Make sure that you keep teachers up to date with significant changes or difficulties that your child or young person experiences so they can accommodate your child's emotional and learning needs at school.

Be loyal

Show your loyalty to your child’s teachers by being an advocate. Talk positively about your child’s teacher and school, rather than being negative about them when speaking in the wider community. Teachers hold very public positions and generally work hard to build good reputations both within their school and their wider education community. Consider a teacher’s reputation among the community and with children when you discuss educational matters with others.

In closing

Building healthy relationships with your child’s teacher doesn’t just happen. It takes goodwill from both sides, a commitment to setting aside the time necessary to support the home-based learning tasks that are expected, and a willingness to communicate concerns and commendations through the correct channels.

A Day at Healesville Sanctuary